Well, I did it

I called and reserved my 75 gal today. Going to get it on Saturday! Then off to Home Depot for some play sand/rocks and such and to the house to set it all up. I'm excited. Since I recently got an eheim canister for my 55 ill be moving one of the hob to the 75 to start the cycle and eventually move both hobs on over and just let the canister run the 55 since it won't have many fish. I can't wait to start adding some cichlids! This week is going sloooow!

Good questions! Well, I chose pool filter sand after reading here that play sand was too fine and HOB filters could suck it up and get clogged.

Pool filter sand is inexpensive and depending on the brand, looks natural. I use the hth brand which I got from Ace Hardware. If your local Ace doesn't have it in stock they can order it and you can pick it up at the store. Here's a link to the kind that I got:

I always liked the white sand but ill look for the pool sand. I gotta go to Walmart here in a few so ill see if they have any if not ill look at Home Depot this weekend after I secure my awesome as he.. Tank!

2nd thought, I'm hoping I'm not over building myself about how much more 25 gallons is. 3rd thought - could I use the same kinna stand for the 75? The one my 55 sits on is a topfin 55 but when I searched online it says its a 55/75

There is a big difference between a 55 and a 75. 55 is a big little tank, while a 75 is a little big tank. The difference, is that the 55 is only 12 inches wide while the 75 is 18 inches wide. That's a 50% larger footprint. Sooo, will a 75 fit on a 55 stand? Not if the stand isn't 19 inches wide....

I have some driftwood in my tank. The albino likes it a lot. Just lots of slate is my only suggestion. If you want any plants java moss works really well because you can put it anywhere and it grows like crazy.

My featherfin likes having his own big slate cave to hang upside down in. I have branches in mine that my cichlids like to weave through. So that's another thought. Plus I've got the java moss wrapped around the branches lol.

Awesome. All great suggestions! I'm glad all the cichlid fans are chiming in at once!

1) would they have slate at Home Depot?

2) what kinna branches did you put in yours?

3) what is Texas holey rock?

My " driftwood " is something from petsmart that's a large brown chunk with holes and whatnot. It's been in my 55. Hopefully moving the used filter and all the decor that's moving from the 55 and the 10, I will cycle rather quickly!